Yamaha’s MotoGP championship leader Valentino Rossi will start last in Sunday’s title decider in Valencia after a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling on Thursday.
The Italian had appealed for his back-of-the-grid penalty to be suspended to allow him to race on equal terms with Spanish title rival and team mate Jorge Lorenzo pending a further appeal.
However, MotoGP said in a statement that the Lausanne-based court had issued an order dismissing Rossi’s application for a stay of execution.
“As a consequence of this ruling, at the Gran Premi de la Comunitat Valenciana, last race of the FIM world championship grand prix, Mr Rossi will start from the last position on the grid,” it added.
